Sun, sand and safety

AccuWeather's Ali Reid was live from Asbury Park, New Jersey, where officials are stressing the importance of beach safety.

Transcript

00:00With the fun also comes serious safety concerns. Our Allie Reed is live from Asbury Park this

00:04morning where officials are stressing the importance of beach safety. Good morning, Allie.

00:13Good morning, guys, and especially on a day like today, live from Asbury Park, New Jersey.

00:18Fireworks, by the way, canceled last night. They are on for today, so that means plenty of people

00:23wanting a little bit of Fourth of July action on the beach throughout the day today.

00:27But with that being said, yes, the other thing that the beach patrol is really emphasizing right now

00:32is the idea of safety, especially coming off of last week where one of their lifeguards was impaled

00:38by an umbrella. Okay, so they are taking things very seriously, and that just goes to show you

00:43that it could be any day things that could cause some pretty dangerous situations. So

00:48always keep your head on a swivel. Now, with that being said, lifeguards say safety really does have

00:54to come first here, whether that might be in the water or outside of it as well. The beach patrol

00:59is saying that it's ramping up its presence after a rash of recent rescues and close calls. Really,

01:05over the last couple of days, dozens of swimmers were pulled off rough surf along the shore. But it's

01:11not just the water posing danger. On breezy days, unsecured umbrellas can become airborne, turning into

01:18sharp projectiles like the one that struck a lifeguard here just a few days ago. If you are planning a beach day,

01:24timing and preparation matter. Arrive early, scope out your surroundings, set up near a lifeguard

01:29stand, and check the colored flag system. Don't forget the essentials, water, sun protection,

01:34and footwear for hot sand or rocky areas. And if you're heading in the water, even just to cool off,

01:39never swim alone. Last weekend, we had a lot of rescues because we had a lot of rough ocean

01:46the weekend, and it was up and down the Jersey coast, and there were a lot of rescues. It's very

01:50important that you swim in guarded areas and designated areas, and you pay attention to the

01:56lifeguards. When you're on the beach, especially with young kids, you've got to watch them all the

02:01time going near the water because a wave comes in, knocks them off their feet, and they can go.

02:05The lifeguards are watching hundreds of people in the water, so again, the parents' eyes on those

02:09kids is vital. Lifeguards say their biggest concern isn't the waves, it's complacency.

02:18Don't assume someone else is watching. Stay alert, stay within the flags, and speak up

02:22if you are feeling unsafe. Now, a few extra precautions can be the difference between a

02:28fun beach day and potentially a trip to the ER. Now, lifeguards are doing their part, they ask us.

02:34We do the same for them, only there's, of course, only a number of them along the beach line, so

02:40they say make sure parents are watching, that people are staying as safe as they possibly can,

02:47and to be following those protocols, ladies, as you might be heading to the beach this weekend.

02:51That doesn't mean you can't have fun, though, especially in Asbury Park, New Jersey.

02:55And that's the thing, I think for a lot of parents, they are tempted to maybe pick up the phones as

02:59their kids are swimming. Leave them down. You're on vacation. What do you need that phone for anyway?

03:03Make sure your eyes are on your kids. It's Melissa's Roman Empire. I love it.

03:06You tell them. Tell them, Melissa. All right, Allie, we appreciate you being out there for us

03:09and also shooting some great video. It's fun to live through everybody else who gets to be at the

03:13beach for the 4th of July.